No, I don't see three ships come sailing in. One generally doesn't in Bushy Park.

What I do see is an awful lot of parkrunners!


Look, here's one of them.


And here are some more.


And now they're proving it by running. Note a small flash of orange near the centre of the picture. I don't realise it at the time, but this will later prove to be Merilyn's prodigal son, Liam.


Let's zoom in. There, see? And if you look even more closely, you can see a kind of multicoloured blob just behind...


Well that's our Christmas Pudding herself :-)

Although it's only a few seconds from the start, Merilyn and Amanda have already got themselves separated, and I don't see Amanda in the crowd at this point at all. I take essentially random pictures of everyone, but even afterwards I can't find her, so most likely she's found herself behind somebody bigger blocking my view.


So I'll just snap some other interesting characters as the field thins out towards the end and I can get across to jump back on my bike and hit the next spot.


More curious folk... Does his wife know he's nicked her Santa nightie?


Plenty more doing their bit for the Christmas spirit...

On the subject of Christmas, sorry to those who've heard this already (perhaps several times!) but I have an important announcement to make.

Boney M: "Mary's Boy Child". An undeniable Christmas classic (we are ignoring all the other versions because they're utter crap, but the principle still applies), but it is seriously theologically unsound!

The lyric, "man will live for evermore, because of Christmas Day" is just wrong: It's Easter - let me be clear, *EASTER*, that is the important event here. Yes, obviously he had to be born at some point, but it's the <expletive deleted> Resurrection that has <expletive deleted> theological meaning! EVEN BLOODY ATHEISTS KNOW THIS!!!

Sorry.

Rant over.

It's still a great Christmas Number 1.


Ah, right, there she is, just!


Ok, at the next corner, I've got things sorted out and can get both my girls here. So first, Merilyn (FTAOD, even if I had known Liam before the start, he's over the hills and far away by now!)


In between, it's a man with a reindeer on his head. Of course.


And then Amanda.


Santa and a Santarette. Watch this space...


Ooh, man with a reindeer on his head has overtaken Merilyn. I don't know whether he's gained speed or she's lost it: we kind of need for everyone to upload their GPS data to a web page to show the fine detail of how everyone compares: I don't think your Garmin Connects or your Stravas or whatever do this kind of side-by-side analysis, so maybe this is another chance to make my fortune...


It's Christmas: even random non-runners are joining in! Not wholly convinced by the roast turkey hat as a fashion statement, though.


Remember Santarette from earlier? Clearly demanded Dad stop and zip her up against the wind and drizzle, so just tough if he had been on for a PB!


I'm not quite sure how this embodies Christmas in the flesh, but it's certainly in the spirit!


A for Amanda in the finish funnel!


Ah, Merilyn has been reunited with her son, but he seems to be trying to conceal his identity!


And then when he accepts that paparazzi fame is unavoidable, Mum gets all coy instead.

Lordy! If there are N people in a picture, it's a safe bet you need N million shots to stand a chance of getting one without at least one person looking pissed off/psychotic/asleep/drunk/possessed by demons/etc/worse. I know this and still don't take enough. Bah humbug...

Then let us all rejoice again,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;
Then let us all rejoice again,
On Christmas Day in the morning.

Merry Xmas Everybody! (Oops, that's Slade, sorry...)

Steve.